Rhiannon Giddens, In Collaboration With Crys Matthews and the Resistance Revival Chorus, Reimagine Peggy Seeger’s “How I Long for Peace” 

Listen / Watch “How I Long for Peace” Here: https://rhiannongiddens.lnk.to/HowILongForPeace / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmwwqHmwZq8

[Cover Art: Ash Kwak Lukashevsky]

September 16, 2024 - GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens joins forces with singer-songwriter Crys Matthews and the Resistance Revival Chorus - a collective of women and non-binary singers - for a reimagining of folk icon Peggy Seeger’s “How I Long for Peace.” The new recording was released today, timed to tomorrow’s National Voter Registration Day. Seeger's "How I Long for Peace," penned over two decades ago and released in 2021, strikes a chord with its yearning for a more just and peaceful world. Its message is particularly relevant during voting season, reminding us that our choices at the ballot box directly impact the future we create. Released in partnership with Joy To The Polls and HeadCount, this powerful rendition, recorded together in Brooklyn last month, serves as a call for community and civic engagement during election season. Joy To The Polls will also use “How I Long for Peace” to kick off a campaign calling on artists to write their own songs, imagining the world they want to see and create. O how I long for peace Among the peoples and the nation  How I long to halt the plunder Of the wonders of creation O how I long for peace  Listen / Watch “How I Long for Peace” Here: https://rhiannongiddens.lnk.to/HowILongForPeace / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmwwqHmwZq8 “Rhiannon, Crys and Company have done an amazing interpretation of my song How I Long for Peace. It really works and will take this simple song to new levels. Thank you, Rhiannon, as always - now it’s on its way!” — Peggy Seeger “When Crys asked me to collaborate on this with her I got really excited. I have been a longtime Peggy Seeger fan and think she has written an incredible song that says some hard but crucial things and most importantly allows space for us all to wish for a better world.” — Rhiannon Giddens “While participating in the Library of Congress Archive Challenge, I came across a live video of Peggy Seeger singing "How I Long for Peace." The words were so poignant and relevant even though the video I was watching was from 2007, which was almost a decade before when I had stumbled across it. I fell in love with it, and adapted it to feel like how I would sing it in my family's church because that is where I first learned about social justice music and freedom songs. I carried that song with me for many years and then, one day, after seeing a post on Rhiannon's Instagram about a student-led, antiwar demonstration she had witnessed while giving a commencement address, I sent it to her. Next thing you know, she and I are in a studio in NYC singing it with the Resistance Revival Chorus. I truly hope this song will be a balm for the folks who, like us and like Peggy, are longing for and actively striving for peace. May we all continue to envision a world where lasting peace is finally realized.” — Crys Matthews

About Rhiannon Giddens: 

Rhiannon Giddens has made a singular, iconic career out of stretching her brand of folk music, with its miles-deep historical roots and contemporary sensibilities, into just about every field imaginable. A two-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer and instrumentalist, 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, and advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art. Her most recent release is 2023’s You’re the One, Giddens’ first album of all original songs, her banjo can be heard on the history-making song “Texas Hold ‘Em” and she is the Artistic Director of Silkroad Ensemble. In addition to her musical pursuits, Giddens has published two children’s books featuring her lyrics, hosts the Aria Code podcast on WQXR, has composed music for ballet and film, and one of her songs is featured in the hit video game Red Dead Redemption 2. Her musical versatility has led her to collaborations with Questlove, Yo-Yo Ma, and Samuel L. Jackson; she also has fans in Elvis Costello, John Turturro, and Lucy Liu.    

 

About Crys Matthews:

A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made for these times. 

Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation adds, her gift is a "reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." In her own words, Matthews says her mission is: "to amplify the voices of the unheard, to shed light on the unseen, and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice." Her upcoming album, aptly titled Reclamation, is an embodiment of and a testament to that mission.

 

About Resistance Revival Chorus:

The Resistance Revival Chorus is a collective of more than 60 women and non-binary singers, who join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, and to uplift and center women’s voices, especially the voices of Black women and women of color. Members are touring musicians, film and television actors, Broadway performers, solo recording artists, gospel singers, political activists, educators, filmmakers, artists, mothers, and more, representing a multitude of identities, professions, creative backgrounds, and activist causes. The Resistance Revival Chorus was founded in the wake of the 2017 Women's March and strives to center women in music and address how historically marginalized women have been in the music industry. They’ve backed Ke$ha at the GRAMMYs, performed on The Tonight Show with Jim James, sung Spanish lullabies to detained migrant children outside a New York holding facility, and been shouted-out on Twitter by hometown hero Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. When they’re not performing on stages like Carnegie Hall and the Apollo, the Resistance Revival Chorus regularly hits the NYC streets, advocating for social justice across the spectrum. From standing in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and calling to defund the police, the Resistance Revival Chorus has been involved in many activist causes including reproductive rights, the anti-muslim ban, Climate Change, LGBTQIA+ rights at PRIDE and attending the March For Our Lives. The RRC’s album “THIS JOY” is available on all streaming platforms, with the vinyl available on the Righteous Babe website. The RRC brings music to the movement. 

 

About Joy To The Polls: 

Joy To The Polls (JTTP) is a non-partisan voting initiative that uses music and art to build the kind of world we hope to inhabit; one in which each person’s right to vote, and the action of voting itself, is a celebration. Founded in 2020, JTTP has brought musicians including Rick Ross, Sun Ra Arkestra and Jon Batiste out to polling sites across the country to initiate fun for voters in long lines, and released playlists from the likes of President Barack Obama, Selena Gomez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda for anyone to listen to while waiting to vote. In 2024, JTTP will bring pop-up performances back to early voting and election day polling locations in addition to playlists, original song campaigns, partnerships with Broadway performers via Broadway Votes, and more.

 

About HeadCount: 

HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music and popular culture to register voters and promote participation in Democracy. We reach young people where they already are to inform and empower. Our goal is long-term, lasting change where participation in Democracy is ingrained in youth culture and high voter turnout is the norm, no matter what's on the ballot.  Since 2004, we’ve registered over one million voters through our work with musicians like Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Dead & Co, Billie Eilish and Alicia Keys; organizations such as Global Citizen; events including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Pride festivals and RuPaul’s DragCon; plus partnerships with brands like Spotify, Major League Baseball and American Eagle. Our award-winning online campaigns have been seen over a billion times, while our 60,000 volunteers can be seen at more than 1,500 live events each year.

 

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For more information please contact Chris Taillie, Matt Hanks and Casey Hansen at Shore Fire Media